Fusilli with fresh basil pesto and pine nuts

About this recipe

Fusilli with basil pesto combines twisted wheat pasta with a freshly made sauce of aromatic basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Sardo. Basil pesto has its culinary home in Liguria, where a mortar is used to crush the ingredients gently. This recipe cooks the pasta while the pine nuts are briefly toasted in a dry pan. A portion of the nuts, cheese and basil is reserved for serving; the remainder forms the sauce. The slightly increased amount of pine nuts gives the pesto a fuller nutty character without replacing the herbs. Olive oil is incorporated gradually until the paste can coat the fusilli evenly. Stirring the pesto into hot pasta away from direct heat helps protect the basil's fresh fragrance. A little starchy cooking water can be added when necessary to loosen the coating. Fusilli are a convenient alternative to more traditional Ligurian pasta shapes and are best served immediately with their pine-nut topping.